STP, an iconic brand and logo as recognizable as any in sports, announced Wednesday it is returning to big-time racing with sponsorships in NASCAR's Sprint Cup and Nationwide series, at numerous racetracks as well as in the NHRA.

The brand has been largely absent for 11 years in major American motorsports, concentrating more on local track sponsorships. But STP is returning with an aggressive sponsorship plan that will have the familiar "racer's edge" mantra not only back on cars on the track, but throughout tracks nationwide in a deal with International Speedway Corp.

It begins with NASCAR's split weekend of June 4-5, when the Saturday night Nationwide Series event at Chicagoland Speedway will be the STP 300, and the Sunday afternoon Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway will be the STP 400.

That same weekend, Richard Petty's famous No. 43 car, driven by AJ Allmendinger, will carry The King's 1972 STP paint scheme, marking the first time that car has carried those colors since a two-race deal in 2006.

The ISC properties in the STP deal are Daytona, Talladega, Richmond, Darlington, Michigan, Chicagoland and Kansas. The company also has signed a multiyear sponsorship with Speedway Motorsports Inc.'s Infineon Raceway, including title sponsorship of its Wednesday night drag-racing series.

"Since our initial sponsorship with Richard Petty almost 40 years ago, we've understood the power of racing and the ability to connect with our consumers through the sport," said Dave Lundstedt, CEO of Armored AutoGroup, which owns STP. "We are excited to be continuing that relationship with the fans and adding another chapter to our storied racing history with a diverse stable of sponsorships."

Two weeks ago, STP announced a three-race primary sponsorship and full-time associate sponsorship of two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon. And it will continue its sponsorship of Tony Stewart's World of Outlaws team.

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